Paralegal

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:    Paralegal

Job Type:    Full-Time; Regular; Exempt

Reports To:  Legal Director

 

Location: Hybrid; 2 days per week in-person in our NYC offices, additional days as needed

Salary Range: Pregnancy Justice sets salary ranges based on experience and in accordance with the organizational pay scale. This position is considered an “Associate I” level on the organizational salary scale and seeks a candidate with 1-3 years of experience, representing a salary range of $71,225 to $76,701. Additional details are specified below:  

 

• $73,005 - 1 Years Experience:

• $74,830 - 2 Years Experience:
• $76,701 - 3 Years Experience

 

Benefits: Include but are not limited to medical, dental, and vision insurance, group term life and AD&D insurance; flexible spending accounts; commuter benefits; 403(b) retirement plan; annual paid time off (20 vacation days; 10 sick days; 5 personal days; 1 floating holiday, federal holidays, and end of year office closure Dec. 24 -Jan. 1); 4 months of paid family leave; and professional development funding.  

 

Job Summary:

The paralegal will provide substantive, supervised support to Pregnancy Justice’s legal department, focusing on case management, intake, client interaction, and legal filings. Key tasks include drafting legal documents, scheduling and other administrative support, maintaining electronic and physical files, conducting legal and other research, and supporting litigation or corporate governance to help the organization meet the goals of its strategic plan.

 

Essential Job Functions: 

 

Legal Support

 

• Meet with attorneys, clients, and other professionals to discuss assigned cases and projects.
• Oversee intake function, including interviewing and creating statement summaries from individuals who reach out for legal assistance and managing intake database.
• Draft, cite check, and format legal documents (including, but not limited to, supporting documents for court filings, pleadings, motions, affidavits, subpoenas, interrogatories and requests for productions, letters); create table of authorities and table of contents, edit for typos and errors in all work products.
• Research rules and create processes to ensure compliance with all legal and judicial filing and appearance requirements.
• Perform legal research using Westlaw, legal databases, public records, government resources, and other research tools; analyze statutes, regulations, legal articles, judicial decisions, and other legal sources; provide written analysis to attorneys.
• Assist attorneys with trial preparation and trial support.
• Summarize deposition, trial transcripts, documents, and exhibits.
• Prepare, organize, store, retrieve, and maintain case files, which may include evidence, exhibits, depositions, pleadings, exhibits, and other items, ensuring best practices and easily accessible files.
• Draft and format day-to-day correspondence, such as releases of information, preservation and demand letters, and emails.
• Assist in the planning, coordination, and development of trainings, presentations, and educational resources for attorneys.

 

Administrative Support

 

• Organize and manage documents in SharePoint, including creating spreadsheets.
• Create and run attorney billing reports and other case related reports.
• Assist in drafting legal department Board reports.
• Create and run grant related reports in collaboration with the Development team.
• Maintain case management database and case calendar for litigation team.
• Calendar events between attorneys, staff, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and others, general scheduling support.
• Other administrative tasks such as binder creation, copying, and printing.
• Track invoices and payments to co-counsel, expert witnesses, and other case-related expenses.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Prior experience as a paralegal, legal assistant, or legal intern in a legal services or non-profit setting. Paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited program preferred.
• Experience drafting, cite-checking, and correcting legal briefs (trial and appellate levels).
• Experience managing medium to large-scale document productions.
• Understanding of legal language and principles, research methods, court pleadings and processes, and other related matters.

• Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong time management skills with a proven ability to prioritize workloads, meet deadlines, and maintain attention to detail.
• Investigative mind and strong research skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Experience working in fast-paced environments.
• Ability to navigate exposure to difficult topics and visual information, including police and medical reports, and controversial social issues.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, and to exercise discretion and good judgment.
• Proficiency with relevant software, including MS Office, case management systems, document review platforms, legal research tools (e.g, Westlaw), and project management systems (e.g, Asana).

 

Common Requirements for All Positions:

• Demonstrated commitment to and passion for Pregnancy Justice’s mission,

goals, and priorities, as well as its organizational culture and values.

• Approaches work with rigor, diligence, and a desire for excellence — not

perfectionism — grounded in the discipline that comes from caring about

outcomes. Able to self-recognize or receive feedback about one’s mistakes, own them, learn from them, integrate their lessons, and move forward.

• Ability to work independently, take initiative, look forward, and be proactive.
• Ability to work outside of regular office hours when necessary.
• Ability to manage time effectively to meet deadlines.
• Ability to interact with all staff in a positive, productive, and respectful manner.
• Full fluency in English is required. Fluency in Spanish or another language is a plus.

Other Critical Competencies: 

 

• Integrity: Acts with honesty, transparency, equity, and in accordance with the highest ethical standards. Follows through on all commitments. 

• Strategic Thinking: Within the context of the individual’s role, applies big-picture thinking to achieve long-term outcomes, while also focusing on the details of short- to mid-term implementation. 

• Sound Judgement: Within the context of the individual’s role, uses common sense and factual data to make decisions in a timely manner. Accurately differentiates between important and unimportant issues. 

• Problem Solving: Helps to identify and resolve conflicts or problems constructively to reach the best solutions for the organization and in furtherance of our priorities. Proposes solutions to effectively address underlying issues.
• Communication: Communicates thoughtfully, clearly, and directly within and across teams.
• Collaboration: Works effectively with various and diverse individuals and groups (both internally and externally), with a willingness to actively listen and invite different views and opinions to build alignment in support of a common goal. Works to ensure a thoughtful, effective, and strategic approach to legal work that values and incorporates all relevant voices, perspectives, areas, and depth of expertise. 

• Commitment to Learning: Applies a growth mentality to one’s own development. Models inquisitiveness and an openness to learn and improve. Demonstrates willingness and capacity to receive and provide positive and constructive feedback to all levels of staff with emotional intelligence. Takes ownership of individual growth in order to achieve full potential. 

• Nimbleness: Within the context of the individual’s role, demonstrates comfort with ambiguity, needing to be flexible and adaptable, consistently reassessing priorities to make sound decisions and take strategic risks in furtherance of our mission and priorities. 

 

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

The work is primarily performed in an office setting and/or remotely, with offsite meetings and events. Occasional travel will be required. Suitable candidates must be able to read, write, and interpret documents and perform highly detailed work with accuracy. This is largely a sedentary position that requires the employee to sit, stand, walk, and bend, and may occasionally require moving files and other equipment.  

 

As operational needs allow and with supervisory approval, staff are able to sign off early on Friday afternoons, typically at 1:00 pm for 9:00 am start, or 2:00 pm for a 10:00 am start so long as deadlines and operational needs are met. Staff are not eligible for comp time for time worked beyond a half-day on a Friday. Pregnancy Justice endeavors to avoid internal meetings on Fridays to allow for quiet focused work time. 

 

Court deadlines and operational demands of the organization will sometimes require employees to work longer hours, including nights and weekends. When this occurs, the employee’s direct supervisor may authorize occasional alterations to their start and/or end times.  

 

Pregnancy Justice is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for pregnant people and individuals with disabilities, including in the application process. If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, please send an email with the subject line “Reasonable Accommodation Request” to HR@pregnancyjusticeus.org. 

 

Unionized Workplace

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit represented by the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys – UAW Local 2325. Employment terms, including salary scale and benefits, will be governed by a pending collective bargaining agreement. We are committed to maintaining a respectful, transparent, and collaborative labor-management relationship.

 

Commitment to Inclusive Hiring Practices 

Research indicates that members of marginalized communities tend to underestimate their qualifications and only apply when they meet all of the criteria in a job posting. If you are excited about this opportunity but are unsure if your past experience aligns with the job description, we encourage you to apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application and how your talents and experience can bring value to this role. 

 

Pregnancy Justice is an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, gender, pregnancy, national origin, height and weight, citizenship, marital or domestic partnership status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, military or veteran status, physical characteristics such as height and weight, or any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pregnancy Justice recognizes and values the benefits of a diverse workforce. 

 

Please note: Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are not able to respond to every individual, and we appreciate your understanding. Please refrain from follow-up emails, phone calls, or social media messages.